Monday, monday...

Hi everyone!

Last week was fairly normal for me--work all day, have things to do all evening. I was able to be home for my dogs for three nights in a row, mostly due to one activity being at my house. Fortunately the friends that came over didn't mind the dogs being around--and the dogs were very well behaved, I must say. They just laid on the couch and watched.

Thursday night was book club--the discussion was rather circular, beginning and ending (for me at least, since I left when the subject was returned to) with potty training. Of course I had to share my one little thing, which is really Bill Cosby's routine about the monkeys in the sewers swiming around and coming up to tickle our bums, and couldn't even tell it right I was laughing so hard, but other than that, I really have not much to add to such conversations. The book discussion was about "A Woman in Berlin: Eight weeks in the conquered city" which I hadn't managed to finish, but got far enough that I could add to the discussion. When I was a teenager I read "The Hiding Place" and several other books about the Holocaust and different groups of people that were affected, but this is the first one I read that was concerned with Germans--the normal, every day people who were affected by what their leaders did. It was really good--and so well written it was hard to remember it wasn't fiction. Definitely recommend this one.

Friday night was the first meeting of Stake Conference, in the temple, on the seventh floor. It was really good. Of course you can't take notes in the temple, but I did write down what I remembered the next evening while waiting for the Saturday evening session. There were three things that stayed with me. One: to go to the temple more often (not hard in my current state of almost never going). Two: you can go to the temple to get something out of it for yourself, not just helping those that have gone on before. Three: whenever you have the chance to go to the temple, you should perform some ordinance there, not just show up and then leave without taking the opportunity to help others. That third one I took to heart that night. I knew I wouldn't be able to sit through a session without falling asleep, but I was able to do something else that helped five people. And I stayed awake :)

Saturday morning I cleaned and tried working with the dogs--that didn't work. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon managed to escape the backyard for a few mintues. Fortunately they both came back to me, and given that it was Saturday morning there were no cars and mostly no people--and they didn't make any messes anywhere. They just ran around for a couple mintues then came when I called. I may be ready to try a dog park with them.

Saturday afternoon my friends S and C came up from VA, and we met up with D from work. We had lunch, then went to see Pirates of the Carribean 3. My review: it was good, but I can't say I liked the ending. The story, the effects, the music, all was what I have come to expect from the movies, and there were multiple Jack's, which is always good. Although there was less of Will in this movie, it seemed, so I, of course, didn't care for that so much. But I didn't really like how it ended. Or how they tied 19th Century pirates into ancient Greek mythology. I will, of course, get the DVD when it comes out, because I have to have the set, and I have to watch it again for the things I missed, so maybe I'll like it better after watching it a few more times.

Saturday evening was the evening session of Stake Conference. It was all about families and what a great responsibililty it is to be parents. Not a lot there for me, but I did manage to glean a few things out of it. Which are written in my notebook. Which is at home. Sunday morning was the main session of conference, for my ward and two others at least. I have to say it was a little odd for me. My normal Stake Conference experience is one of two things: I'm in the choir, or I'm sitting off to the side by myself. This time I wasn't in the choir (I'm about all choir'ed out for the moment, and they kept having rehearsals when I had other committments), and this time I was surrounded by friends from my ward. I got to hold two babies--not at the same time, of course--and it was really great. (ok, sappy moment alert) I just can't express how much it means to me that I have really been accepted by people in my ward. Yes, there's often not a lot of common ground (reference the potty training above), but that doesn't seem to matter. I don't think I've ever been in a place where I have felt like this, like I belong--not just allowed to participate. My poor little lonely heart is very greateful for all these freinds that are now in my life. Ok, sappy moment over. Crying at work not good.

After conference I went home, fixed one of my freezer meals (from the freezer meal group I'm a part of), read Harry Potter 1 and took a nap with the dogs, watched Farscape, and had my Home Teachers come over. The dogs didn't like them very much at first (they have never growled so much! I had to clap my hands at them to get them to stop), but they warmed up to Charlie by the end. Since I had given him treats to give the boys. We'll see if they remember him next time.

I hope everyone is happy and healthy. ttyl! (talk to you later)